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Sermon #5768

Two Ways of Dying

A Sermon on John 8:21-24

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Scripture

John 8:21-24 ESV KJV
So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to …

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Sermon Description

What is the most important question anyone can ask? Christianity says that it is the question of how all will die. This is not the question of what way will they die, but it is the question of the state of the soul when they die. In this sermon on John 8:21–24 titled “Two Ways of Dying,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how many simply wonder if they will die rich or poor, lonely or surrounded by friends, in war or peace. Yet, while these may be important questions, the most important is whether or not one is right with God. Jesus teaches that all who die in their sins and apart from Him will be condemned. While many may believe that they will continue to exist after they die, this is still wrong if it does not include the Bible’s teaching in the final judgment, resurrection of the dead, and necessity of believing the gospel. What, then, is the right way to die? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the only way to die in peace is to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and that He has done what He has said He will. It is to believe that Jesus is the only savior of the world and that He has redeemed all those that believe in Him.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The words to focus on are in John 8:21 and 24. Jesus says “Ye shall die in your sins” and repeats it to emphasize its importance.
  2. The Jews rejected Jesus despite his offer of light, knowledge, reconciliation with God, and power. This is the problem of humanity.
  3. People don’t think about how they will die and the consequences of rejecting Jesus. They treat religion as a casual debate instead of something that determines their eternal destiny.
  4. There are those who never consider death, think wrongly about death, or fail to think rightly about death in spiritual terms. They only care about the physical act of dying, not the state of their soul.
  5. According to Jesus, there are only two ways to die: in your sins or in the Lord. Dying in your sins means dying as you are now, unprepared, not understanding what’s happening, realizing the things you lived for are worthless, feeling guilty, and glimpsing hell.
  6. Dying in the Lord means dying at peace, not surprised, forgiven of sins, carried by angels, hiding in Christ, and entering into glory. The mode of death doesn’t matter, only the state of your soul.
  7. We must consider how we are going to die and if we would want to die as we are now. We must come out of our sins and get into Christ. We can settle it now by believing in Jesus.

Sermon Q&A

What Happens When We Die According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses the critical question of death and what happens when we die in this powerful sermon. Here are key insights from his message.

How do people typically avoid thinking about death?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, many people avoid thinking about death in several ways:

"There are large numbers of people in this world this evening who never consider this question at all. They refuse to consider it. They've never sat down and faced it. They have never stood face to face with this certain fact of death."

He explains that people approach religion and spiritual matters "in an utterly theoretical and academic and detached manner," as if they were merely spectators rather than participants in their own eternal destiny.

What are the two ways of dying according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes there are only two possible ways to die:

"According to our blessed Lord and Savior, there are only two ways of dying. And the only thing that we've got to think about is these two ways of dying...You either die in your sins, or else you die in the Lord."

This distinction is far more important than the physical manner of death (whether by illness, accident, or old age).

What does it mean to "die in your sins"?

To die in your sins means:

  1. "You are going to die exactly as you are now, with all that. That means with all your past upon you, lying heavily upon you."
  2. "A man who dies in his sins doesn't know what's happening to him."
  3. "All the things for which he has lived and on which he has lived until that moment, he suddenly finds that of no value to him."
  4. "He has an awful feeling that he's guilty" as his whole life passes before him.
  5. He feels "completely hopeless" and "utterly helpless" with no ability to undo his past or prepare for eternity.

What does it mean to "die in the Lord"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes dying in the Lord as:

  1. The Christian "is not taken by surprise" by death because they have prepared for it.
  2. Unlike the ungodly who die alone, the Christian is "carried by the angels" (referencing the story of Lazarus).
  3. The Christian is not terrified by past sins because "he knows that he is forgiven."
  4. The believer has Christ with them: "The one who has been with him in life is with him in death."
  5. The Christian can say with Paul, "To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Why does our view of Christ matter in how we die?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that our view of Christ isn't just a matter of opinion but determines our eternal destiny:

"What you think of Christ is not a matter of opinion. It's going to help you there. It's going to make all the difference at that most vital, urgent, tragic point. Do you die in your sins, or do you die in the Lord?"

He quotes Jesus' words: "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins. For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

How can someone ensure they will "die in the Lord"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes with this urgent appeal:

"Are you in your sins now? Well, if you are, I say, fly to him. Believe on him now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... There is no need to delay. You can settle it at this moment. Come out of your sins. Get into Christ."

The sermon emphasizes that this decision is the most important one anyone can make, far more significant than concerns about the physical manner of death, because it determines one's eternal destiny.

The Book of John

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.